Clamping device.



W'. H. KIRKBRIDE.

1 GLAMPING DEVICE. APPLIGATION FILED SEPTA/1,1912.

Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

w 1 f m n J in M 2 W 1T I. T L L 1 6 5 2 6 C 2 m 7 2 2 0 W I I 1 I ll F .1 5 f 1.!1H1IIIJIWI. Z I 5 F I u 6 a e man .FFIQE.

WILLIAM H. KIRKBR-IDE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CLAMPING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. *7, 1913.

Application filed September 14, 1912. Serial N 0. 720,435.

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatl, WILLIAM H. KIRK- BRIDE, a citizen of the United States, resid-' ing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Clamping Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

7 The object of this invention is to provide a clamp which may be easily applied to a post, and thereby firmly attach to that post any member which is integral with or connected to said clamp.

The invention consists of two members A and B, having the characteristics of construction substantially as shown in the draw ing, and hereinafterdescribed and pointed out definitely in the claim.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invent-ionin use. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view in the plane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the clamp member A. Fig. 4 is a top view of the clamp member B. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the clamp member A; and Fig. 6 is an inside view of the clamp member The clamp consists of two members A and B. The member A has a body portion 12 and a jaw portion 13 whose inner face is of cylindrical form, so that it may fit against the cylindrical. post C which the device is designed to clamp,-and the cylindrical surface of this jaw portion extends through an arc of about 180. The member B likewise has a body portion 22 and a jaw portion 21,-the inner surface of said jaw portion being of cylindrical form for engagement with said post C. In the body part 12 of member A is a recess 14, to which the body part of member B is fitted and in which it may move in a longitudinal directio-n,-that is to say, lengthwise of post C. The rear edge 24 of the body part of member B is inclined; and the body part of member A has a correspondingly inclined surface 16 with which the surface 24 engages whenthe two parts are assembled as shown. By moving member B 'with reference to member A, these two inclined surfaces by their engagement with one another will cause the two jaw surfaces to be drawn tightly against the interposed post 0. It is, however, an important part of this invention that these two engaging inclined surfaces 24 and 16 shall be so faced that the clamping movement of member B,-that is to say, its movement toward and against post C, shall be in the direction of the cen tral axis of the clamp, which axis is indicated by the dotted line a in Figs. 2 and 5, and that the cylindrical clamping surfaces of the members A and B extend on both sides of this axis. Because the jaw surface 21 extends on both sides of this axis, the

member B will by engagement with said post, he held in operative relation to the same and to the jaw 13.

The tongues and grooves shown and subsequently referred to are not necessary to prevent the removal of member B from the recess in member A after there has been an initial clamping action or clamping engagement with the post.

The extension of the jaw 13 to both sides of this central axis provides a broad thrust surface for engagement with the post adjacent to the plane of thrust.

The tongues and grooves which the two members are provided with, as shown in the drawing, have desirable functions, but are not essential to every embodiment of the invention. As shown, the member A is formed with the longitudinally extended tongue 19 and groove 20 which interlock with groove 27 and tongue 23 on member B. Also the member A has a longitudinally extended groove'l? for the reception of the tongue 25 or narrowed rear edge of mem ber B. When the two members are provided with these interlocking tongues and grooves, the two members, when once assembled with the post between them, will be held in operative relation while member B is being moved longitudinally to bring about the clamping action.

The edges of all of the tongues referred to and the bottoms of the grooves with which these edges engage may be, and preferably are all inclined to correspond with the inclined surfaces 16 and 24 before referred to.

This clamping device is especially useful for connecting the side members of a metal bed with the upright posts of the head and foot members of said bed. When the device is constructed with specific reference for this preferred use the body 12 of memher A is formed with a socket recess 29 of familiar form for engagement with the said side member of the bed.

The members A and B have two main engaging flat surfaces designated 30 in Fig. 2,

which surfaces preferably coincide with or are in the plane of the main central axis, and these surfaces may therefore be aptly termed the central slide surfaces, or the central vertical slide surfaces, when the clamp is used in connection with a vertical post,

Preferably, the width of the opening in the jaw of member A is slightly less than the external diameter of the post, so that some-pressure is required to insert the post in the opening. WVhen this pressure is ap' plied, the post snaps into place by reason of the slight spring or give of the point of the aw.

Having described my invention, I claim:

In. a clamp for a cylindrical post, a main clamping member comprising a body provided at one end with a clamping jaw and provided between its ends and at oneside thereof with a transverse recess, an auXili iary clamplng member movable 1n said re-' cess, said members having inclined abutting faces which give said auxiliary clamping member, when it is moved along said recess, a clamping movement toward the jaw of the main clamping member, said jaw and auxiliary clamping member having inner cylindrical clamping surfaces which extend on bothysides of: the central axis of the clamp.

In testimonywhereof, I hereunto afliX my Copiesof thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G." I 

